molested; molesting; molests
1
: to make unwanted or improper sexual advances towards (someone)
especially
: to force physical and usually sexual contact on (someone)
He was sent to prison for molesting children.
2
somewhat old-fashioned
: to annoy, disturb, or persecute (a person or animal) especially with hostile intent or injurious effect
Who doth molest my contemplation?—
Shakespeare
ShakespeareBees flew past him, bees flew into him, bees settled upon his coat, bees paused questioningly in front of him … but not a single bee molested him.—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. WodehouseAt a hearing last week, activists persuaded the commission that the porcupines were being chased, molested and "worried" for human amusement.—Kelli Anderson
Kelli AndersonExamples of molest in a Sentence
He was sent to jail for molesting children.
It was illegal to molest, capture, or kill any of the animals in the park.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nassar was convicted in 2018 of molesting hundreds of young girls and sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison.
—Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
He's also made statements about molesting the girls, although autopsy results show that did not happen.
—Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 30 July 2024
The suspect, identified as a 65-year-old man, was arrested and booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of charges including annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2024
Southlake’s Gateway church conducted its first weekend of services since Robert Morris, the founder and senior pastor, resigned after confessing to molesting a child in the 1980s, starting when the girl was 12.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for molest 
Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
He's also made statements about molesting the girls, although autopsy results show that did not happen.
—Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 30 July 2024
The suspect, identified as a 65-year-old man, was arrested and booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of charges including annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2024
Southlake’s Gateway church conducted its first weekend of services since Robert Morris, the founder and senior pastor, resigned after confessing to molesting a child in the 1980s, starting when the girl was 12.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for molest
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'molest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near molest
Cite this Entry
“Molest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/molest. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
molest
transitive verb
mo·lest
mə-ˈlest 
1
: to annoy, disturb, or persecute especially with hostile intent or injurious effect
2
: to make annoying sexual advances to
specifically
: to force physical and usually sexual contact on (as a child)
molester
noun
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